Columbia College has introduced a brand new masks ban, the hiring of particular officers and different new insurance policies, a few of that are in step with the Trump administration’s calls for.
Thursday marked the deadline that the Trump administration gave Columbia to adjust to its record of calls for earlier than even discussing the $400 million in funding that the federal authorities pulled as a result of what it referred to as the varsity’s failure to guard college students from antisemitism.
“Our response to the federal government businesses outlines the substantive work we have been doing over the past tutorial yr to advance our mission, guarantee uninterrupted tutorial actions, and make each scholar, school, and employees member protected and welcome on our campus,” Interim President Katrina Armstrong wrote in an e mail to college students Friday.Â
Face masks banned, officers introduced
One of many new insurance policies is a ban on face masks or coverings supposed to hide a person’s identification. Nevertheless, the coverage says, “Face masks or face coverings are at all times allowed for spiritual or medical causes.”
Moreover, anybody taking part in a protest or demonstration on campus should current their college ID if requested by a college delegate or public security officer.
The college can be hiring 36 new particular officers who can have the power to take away individuals from campus or arrest them, if wanted.
“These people are close to completion of their coaching and credentialing below New York regulation to work on our campus,” the coverage says partly. “Whereas we prepare and credential our inner safety pressure, we’ll proceed to depend on our relationship with the NYPD to offer extra safety help when wanted.”
There are additionally adjustments to the disciplinary course of, together with transferring the college judicial board below the purview of the president’s workplace. There’s additionally a brand new Workplace of Institutional Fairness with 57 fulltime employees to research discrimination complaints.
Tutorial and admission insurance policies below scrutiny
The college may also appoint a brand new senior vice provost to evaluate its instructional applications referring to Center Jap research. Armstrong says the evaluate will work to make sure instructional choices are complete and balanced.
Columbia can be going to evaluate its admission procedures and make suggestions on how to make sure unbiased admission processes.
The interim president says the workplace will undertake a place of institutional neutrality and can set up an institution-wide coverage implementing that stance.
College students react to new insurance policies
It is unclear if the Trump administration will now reinstate that $400 million in federal grants and funding.
Although Columbia desires the cash again, some college students are asking, at what value?
“It is by no means the place of the federal government to essentially do this stuff,” scholar Yousif Elhaj stated.
“I feel it is form of truthfully disgraceful, to be fairly sincere,” scholar Landon Pottebaum stated. “As a result of Columbia has such a protracted repute, lengthy historical past of being this protest college and form of not wavering within the face of federal motion and form of letting the scholars act on their very own, so I feel that is simply an act of cowardice, fairly truthfully.”
In its letter, the Division of Schooling had stated compliance with their calls for was a prerequisite to discussing the varsity’s monetary relationship with the federal authorities.
